Archive for January, 2009

Commercial: How to marry a rich foreign man

Want to marry a rich foreign leader? Better get some special nurse shoes so you won’t generate static electricity:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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8-year-old ping pong player competes against high schoolers

A news report from TBS about Miyu Hirano, an 8-year-old girl from Yamanashi Prefecture who may be Japan’s next great ping pong player:

Hirano gained media attention after competing in the high school 2nd year and below division of the national table tennis competition held in Tokyo last week. In one of her matches, she became the youngest-ever player to defeat a 17-year-old in the competition, breaking the record set by Ai Fukuhara back in 1998 (Fukuhara was 10 at the time).

Miyu comes from a family of table tennis players and she started playing when she was only 3-years-old. She has been a regular participant in national competitions since she was 4, and is viewed as a rising star in the ping pong world　(one magazine called her the “second-coming of Ai-chan”). Last year she was the champion of the “Bambi Division” at the national competition, but this year she challenged herself by attempting to compete against high schoolers.

She hates defeat and would often cry at the conclusion of lost matches. She did not cry when she lost against her second high school-aged opponent, an indication that she may have outgrown that phase. Hirano seems intent on pursuing her ping pong career and has told the press that it is her goal to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Shooting people in Osaka

“Only in Japan can you find an entire city where you can walk up to just about anyone and say Bang! to get such a comedic response.”

[via Danny Choo]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Jackie Chan = Mr. Miyagi / Keanu Reeves = Spike Spiegel

Two recent reports out of Hollywood:

Jackie Chan will be playing the role of Mr. Miyagi in the new “Karate Kid” movie.

The live-action Cowboy Bebop movie has been confirmed. Keanu Reeves has signed on to star as Spike Spiegel.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Space Heater Safety Tips

A few tips on how to avoid fire hazards when using space heaters this winter:

1. Do not hang laundry close to your space heater. If a piece of laundry such as a towel were to fall on top of the heater, it could start a fire.

2. If you go to sleep with your heater on, make sure it is a safe distance from your sleeping area. If a futon or blanket comes into contact with the heater, it could start a fire.

3. Turn off your gas heater before refilling its tank. If you leave it on while pouring gas into the tank, spillage could cause a fire.

4. Always unplug heaters when they aren’t in use. The halogen heater shown in the video has a tendency to turn itself on when somebody nearby uses a TV remote control.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

“Yaroo” security company copies Yahoo! logo

Pink Tentacle has reported on Yaroo Security, a Tokyo-based security guard company with a very familiar logo:

A company spokesman flatly denies that their logo is an imitation of Yahoo’s, although he admits, with a smile, that the logo designers did refer to it a little bit. The spokesman explains that the name “Yaroo” is a play on the word “yaru” (meaning “do”) — a reference to their do-anything style of business.

[from ナニコレ珍百景]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)